It’s a Tide ad (2-5-18)

[WP] Investigating a impact crater, you discover that the meteorite is actually alien technology… and a marketing gimmick. [Link to post.]“Go ahead, Sir.” Security waved me through after I flashed my badge. I walked over the ridge minding my steps on the loose dirt, and headed to the impact location surrounded by yellow hazard suits and white lab coats with glasses. One of the lab guys walked past me headed the other way, and I grabbed his arm.“Hey, do I need a hazmat suit?” He shook his head. His glasses caught the bright work lights set up around the perimeter. These kinds of things only happen at night. “Nah, it’s clean. Those guys are already packing up.” I nodded at him.“Thanks,” I said. He turned and continued to walk away, I headed towards the cluster of people. I knew the guy in charge, Miguel. I’d known Miguel for a long time. He was a close friend, and he ran the most technologically advanced lab in the world. Best of all he was easy to work with and comfortable with his own ego. He made sure it never got in his way. I nodded at him when I reached the group.“Miguel. What’s the word?” I stared down at the cracked ground. A glowing ball sat in the crater, blue and orange light swirled together on its surface. The lights twisted together clockwise like a pinwheel. He shook his head.“I don’t know. It looks like a pod of some sort, but we’ve never seen anything like it before. We can’t find anything on it anywhere. It’s clean. Not even a trace of standard space radiation. Our instruments can’t even tell it’s there.” In the 20 years of our long friendship I’d never seen him as unsettled as he looked now. Sweat covered is brow, and his eyes were wide with disbelief. His head trembled as if the back of his mind was constantly reaffirming that this wasn’t happening. He turned his head toward someone I didn’t recognize. He had the right lab coat and badge, so I figured he was a new intern. “What do you make of it, David?” I wondered why Miguel wanted the new intern’s opinion. David stepped forward and stared blankly past me. “It’s a Tide ad,” David said.